Acting out is to delve into one’s pleasures at all costs. With no regard for the consequences, we return to the thrill – over and over. Recovery, on the other hand, is about self-denial. And self-denial is counterintuitive 100 percent of the time.
For many, there is no greater pleasure than sex. Perhaps you can relate to comedian Alan King, who said, “As life’s pleasures go, food is second only to sex. Except for salami and eggs.”
I have tried all three: sex, salami, and eggs. I vote sex.
God created us for sex, but in recovery we have to put everything in its proper context – including sex. Seeking sex simply for the sake of pleasure will put us at constant odds with God’s better plan. There comes a time for each of us when we need to choose between pleasure and recovery.
Trumpeter Louis Armstrong explained the key to his success: “I was determined to play my horn against all odds, and I had to sacrifice a whole lot of pleasure to do so.”
Here’s the question of the day. Are you willing to sacrifice pleasure for the sake of recovery?
Recovery Step: Solomon said, “Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man” (Proverbs 21:17). Pleasure can be a really good thing. But it’s never as good as recovery.
